Chapter 677: Mrs. Zhong, A Difficult Situation

The movie ended, and the lights in the Cinema began to brighten.

Some audience members had already stood up, while others remained seated, wanting to see if there were any post-credits scenes.

Xiao Wei's girlfriend picked up her small bag, turned her head to glance at Xiao Wei, and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Are you stunned?"

Seeing Xiao Wei sitting there blankly, she thought of a phrase—struck by lightning.

"How did he dare to do it!" Xiao Wei couldn't help but say out loud.

"What?" his girlfriend asked, puzzled.

"How did he dare to do it!!" Xiao Wei repeated, his entire being incomparably shocked.

"What on earth are you talking about!" his girlfriend grew impatient.

"Perfect Crime! This movie by Luo Mo, the final ending is a Perfect Crime!" Xiao Wei pointed at the big screen and said.

"I know, I understood it, it was very good. I even got goosebumps during the final conversation with the new Chief," his girlfriend couldn't help but remark.

"No," Xiao Wei pointed at himself and said, "I! I'm from the Review Department!"

The girlfriend understood in an instant.

Only then did she react as well.

That's right, a Perfect Crime!

According to her boyfriend's usual way of speaking, a movie with this kind of ending would be impossible to pass the review.

If it were a martial arts film, or some fantasy film, or a xianxia film... then you could indulge in vengeance, and if people die, they die.

But this is an urban genre.

"Section Chief Zhong actually let him pass the review." Xiao Wei felt half his body go numb.

Initially, his shock at *Sheep Without a Shepherd* lay in its novelty, its sense of rhythm, its filming techniques, and its rising climaxes.

Now, what shocked him most was Luo Mo's audacity, and... Section Chief Zhong's protection of him.

To put it simply, Xiao Wei asked himself: if this movie had been reviewed by him, even if his girlfriend sitting right here had filmed it, even if she were the director, he would not have let it pass.

One has to take responsibility!

The ending of the web series *The Corner of Mystery* actually had the big devil as the child Zhu Chaoyang.

But it was filmed in an incredibly obscure way, essentially filming a fake ending for everyone to see.

Look, the Dark Version is just something you all imagined yourselves!

Our production team takes no responsibility for that.

Our ending is clearly a happy one for all, and the only villain is Zhang Dongsheng.

If you keep talking, that's slander!

Xiao Wei had also watched the web series *The Corner of Mystery*.

Naturally, he could understand the ending.

But because that ending was hidden within the "Fairy Tale Version" ending, in his view, although Luo Mo was daring, he was merely rubbing against the edge of the bottom line, testing it frantically.

This time it was different; it was very open and aboveboard.

It was almost stark naked.

If one had to say what was left, it was only a tiny pair of underpants: the story was set in Siam, and it was labeled with two characters at the very beginning—【Earth】.

Walking out of the Cinema, Xiao Wei finally recovered.

But was this movie good?

He naturally thought it was good.

It wasn't just that the satisfaction points were handled well; the sense of confrontation was also very satisfying.

"It is a good movie," Xiao Wei said in his heart.

In reality, he did not know that when Luo Mo was writing the script, he had also hesitated for three whole days.

On Earth, the domestic version of *Sheep Without a Shepherd* was a remake of the Indian film *Drishyam*.

One can tell from the name that the original "Sheep Without a Shepherd" refers to the accidental killing of a person when one originally intended to destroy a phone.

And since it is called *Drishyam* (Deceiving the Heavens), it must be about deceiving the heavens to cross the sea.

Its selling point and core is—Perfect Crime!

Even the hatred stirred up in the original version wasn't actually as high as in the domestic *Sheep Without a Shepherd*...

In *Drishyam*, the phone contained a secretly filmed video of someone bathing.

But the domestic remake actually upgraded the hatred between Li Weijie's family and Sucha, as well as the hatred involving Layun.

With the hatred laid out so heavily, the subsequent satisfaction naturally becomes more intense.

However, the ending of turning oneself in would make audiences who had seen *Drishyam* feel even more dissatisfied with this remake.

Yes, the ending of *Sheep Without a Shepherd* on Earth was that Li Weijie ultimately chose to turn himself in and went to prison.

There might be many reasons why the remake on Earth chose such an ending.

In Luo Mo's view, if there was no other way and one could only film a surrender to wrap it up, *Sheep Without a Shepherd* was actually handled quite well.

First of all, in the domestic version of *Sheep Without a Shepherd* on Earth, when the coffin was opened, the audience saw bloodstains on the coffin lid.

This segment shocked many viewers at the time, and the emotional impact was very strong.

Because this implied that Sucha was not actually dead.

He had been locked in the coffin, woke up, was unable to break out, and then died.

This detail didn't just bring an emotional impact to the audience.

In Luo Mo's view, it brought an even greater emotional impact to Li Weijie, who was standing in the pouring rain!

This gave the heavy rain and the Scapegoat more meaning.

However, what ultimately made Li Weijie choose to turn himself in was actually the younger daughter's test paper.

After the incident passed, the youngest daughter also began to attend school normally, and her test paper was a one hundred.

But if you look closely, this one hundred of hers has correction fluid on it; it is a one hundred she changed herself, wanting her father to buy her a harmonica.

This made Li Weijie, as a father, feel deeply self-reproachful, feeling that he had influenced his youngest daughter.

It is just a pity that on Earth, this plot was filmed very obscurely, and regarding this, Luo Mo expressed regret.

How should I put it, it overestimated the audience's insight.

When he watched it for the first time himself, he hadn't noticed it at all.

Later, after surrendering and being locked in prison, the entire scene echoed the beginning and end with the story Li Weijie told Song Shu at the start of the movie.

Because in that story, the prisoner was also suffocated to death.

After much hesitation, Luo Mo chose to film the Perfect Crime version.

"Sheep Without a Shepherd" is actually very commercial; at its core, it is a commercial Suspense blockbuster aimed at being a box office hit.

Then it might as well just be satisfying to the end.

Moreover, that climax scene in the heavy rain has always been met with mixed reviews on Earth.

Especially regarding the bloodstains on the coffin lid.

Some of the audience felt it was very shocking—so Sucha hadn't actually died at the beginning!

Some felt it was too dumbed down; when opening the coffin, with such a group of people surrounding it to watch, Layun had been portrayed as so formidable and experienced earlier, and even Li Weijie's time-swapping had been discovered by her, yet at the critical moment, with patches of bloodstains, she was blind.

As long as the bloodstains were seen, they would be a point of suspicion, and the police could say they had discovered new evidence.

Then, the masses could not possibly rise up in resistance, because it would not be an abuse of power, but ironclad evidence.

The subsequent riot would then be unable to hold up.

Do not forget, the essence of this movie is a Suspense film.

The first half had been building up the intellectual clash between Layun and Li Weijie.

Therefore, trade-offs had to be made.

Abandoning this plot, Luo Mo felt the sense of satisfaction was leaking away.

After all, many audience members felt that Li Weijie's family was too miserable; the encounter of the eldest daughter Pingping would make any father go mad!

This is your underage daughter whom you raised with such hard work.

She has excellent grades, obtained one of only two spots in the class, and you paid expensive fees to let her go to summer camp.

As a result, she was drugged by someone.

This person even filmed a video with his friends.

This video was even watched by everyone in the entire police station.

The bad boy's mother was also incredibly arrogant; not only did she beat up your whole family, but she also said if you didn't plead guilty, she would release the video for the whole internet to see.

This hatred was stoked too high.

On Earth, if the Actor playing the eldest daughter hadn't had such poor acting skills, everyone's empathy could have been even stronger!

Sucha suffocating to death in the coffin, dying in despair, was a satisfying point for some audience members, who felt it was very gratifying.

To fill in that sense of satisfaction, there was that line at the end while standing at the police station: "You and your police station will protect us well."

The satisfaction at the end, the gratification at the end, definitely had to overshadow the preceding parts.

And by choosing the Perfect Crime version of the ending, the commercial nature of this "Sheep Without a Shepherd" was further strengthened.

Luo Mo knew very clearly—what the ordinary audience actually wants to watch.

The movie "Dying to Survive" can actually provide the answer.

Like on Earth, don't look at the fact that the box office of "Dying to Survive" was over three billion; the number of audience members who went to the theater to watch it was no less than those of movies with four or five billion in box office.

It lost in 【Viewership Count】, not 【Number of Viewers】.

For some big hits, many people will watch repeatedly, going to the theater for a second or third viewing; the 【Number of Viewers】 remains unchanged, but the 【Viewership Count】 becomes higher, and the box office increases.

"Dying to Survive" is completely different; the number of people willing to go to the theater to watch it was indeed very high.

After all, it is a masterpiece with explosive word-of-mouth!

If this number of people were placed in other commercial blockbusters, a box office of over 4 billion, or even over 5 billion, would be possible.

But the 【Viewership Count】 is low; people are unwilling to watch it a second time, a third time...

——Painful! Too painful!

This movie hurts every time you watch it!

It is precisely because of this that on Earth, even though there was a lot of foreshadowing regarding the issue of surrender in "Sheep Without a Shepherd," and even a miraculous echo between the beginning and the end, many audience members still cursed it, cursed it to death, cursing not only the movie but also the entire industry and the entire environment.

In short, Luo Mo had already made his choice, and Team Leader Zhong Lin also gritted her teeth; facing the temptation of 8 billion from three movies, this woman broke through her own bottom line.

Next, it would depend on the feedback from the Blue Star market.

………

………

On the First Day of "Sheep Without a Shepherd"'s release, its popularity exploded across the entire internet.

The Hot Search lists on all major platforms were occupied by "Sheep Without a Shepherd."

There was no helping it; this movie had a bit too many elements.

Let alone the Perfect Crime ending that others didn't dare to film at all, just the fact that Luo Mo filmed himself to death was a huge gimmick.

In the version on Earth, the middle-aged Actors were all showing off their acting skills, while the young Actors were somewhat lacking; conversely, the crying scenes of that little child star were incredibly strong.

In the Blue Star version, under Luo Mo's leadership, the young Actors chosen were also acting powerhouses, and they were all showing their own unique talents.

After watching it, many people praised Luo Mo's acting, and even came up with a term—【Plastic Surgery Level Acting】.

It's just that this term is usually used to praise Actors whose looks don't meet the audience's expectations and Requirement, but who still make the audience very invested due to their superb acting skills.

When it comes to Luo Mo, it's different.

"He's clearly so handsome, why do I hate him so much!"

"He's unreasonably handsome, and unreasonably evil too!"

"To be this handsome, and yet rely on his acting to make me hate him until my teeth itch!"

"I even feel like he's not handsome anymore..."

"Damn, Luo Mo used his acting to cure my brainless obsession with looks and my fangirl disease."

"I'm really going to die laughing at the 【Mo Sheng Ren】, they're all saying Luo Mo died too easily."

Fans of other Idols, no matter how their 'brother' collapses, will defend him, even disregarding moral bottom lines.

Relying on a face, they can repeatedly commit crimes and act recklessly.

Luo Mo's fans: "Doesn't this bastard deserve to die!?"

"I have to scold you a few more times at the very least!"

"The Idol's actions are for the Idol to pay for, do not involve the fans. We Mo Sheng Ren are law-abiding, and strongly boycott villains like Sucha!"

But I have to say, the Mo Sheng Ren are actually very proud of Luo Mo's acting.

Relying on his acting and makeup, he even changed his temperament, becoming overbearing and sleazy.

This makes the 【Mo Sheng Ren】 feel that 【Best Actor】 is far from his end point, it is only his starting point.

We look forward to Luo Mo winning Best Actor in the future!

And Huaxia finally has a 【Perfect Crime】 type movie, which can be said to have ignited the audience's expectations.

Originally, because of 【Mist Theater】 and other reasons, "Sheep Without a Shepherd" already had high popularity; on the first day of release, many people bought tickets, and the Pre-sale Box Office directly broke 100 million.

Now, many people say it's good after watching it, and have even thrown out the four words 【Perfect Crime】. In an instant, one can imagine that even more people will buy tickets next!

At midnight, Luo Mo took a look at the final first-day box office of "Sheep Without a Shepherd" in his hotel, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

On June 30th, the first-day box office of "Sheep Without a Shepherd" reached 209 million!

It refreshed the first-day box office record for domestic Suspense films in one fell swoop!

"The Shuji Dang relies on a steady flow, unlike the Spring Festival period, where the first few days of the first lunar month are fiercely intense." Luo Mo thought in his heart.

He has been filming "The Wandering Earth" during this time, burning money crazily every day.

"Hurry up, let me recoup some funds." Luo Mo smiled.

………

………

The sweltering July arrived just like that.

Team Leader Zhong Lin of the Review Department was listening to Luo Mo's new song "Starry Mood" while driving to work.

Her image in the minds of her team members has always been on the serious side.

At this moment, this fair-skinned woman with a good temperament was singing off-key:

"【Hand in hand, one step, two steps, three steps, four steps, looking at the sky,

Watching the stars, one, two, three, four, connecting into a line.】"

The first-day box office of "Sheep Without a Shepherd" clearly put Zhong Lin in a great mood.

After arriving at the office, half an hour later, she was called over by He Ping'an.

"It came after all." Zhong Lin sighed, saying in her heart.

She had long guessed that He Ping'an would look for her today.

"I heard you have a lot of guts." He Ping'an, with graying hair but a straight back, said to Zhong Lin.

Zhong Lin gave a sheepish smile and didn't speak.

She knew very well that it was her who approved "Sheep Without a Shepherd", this Perfect Crime movie, which must have caused an uproar in the Review Department.

"I've looked into this new movie of Luo Mo's."

"Just now, regarding this matter, I specifically called Li and the others over to hold a small meeting." He Ping'an said.

"You were indeed a bit rash this time. Giving it approval is not a decision you can make alone, nor is it a responsibility you can bear alone." He Ping'an continued.

Zhong Lin opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, she felt it was better to play dumb.

After walking out of He Ping'an's office, Zhong Lin walked back, discovering that many staff members of the Review Department were stealing glances at her.

It was obvious that after the four words 【Perfect Crime】 spread yesterday, everyone in the Review Department was likely shocked.

They didn't expect "Sheep Without a Shepherd" to actually be such a movie!

They could also guess what exactly happened.

"Team Leader Zhong actually approved it!"

"She's definitely going to have to take responsibility for this."

"Will there be a disciplinary action?"

"Hard to say."

"But I watched "Sheep Without a Shepherd" with my girlfriend yesterday, it was really super good, especially satisfying!"

"You actually have a girlfriend?"

"What, that's not the point, is it."

"Whether it's good and whether the movie is approved are two different things. How it's ultimately handled really has nothing to do with whether it's good or not."

After returning to her office and sitting down, Zhong Lin began to recall what He Ping'an said to her at the end.

An internal decision has been made to carefully observe the audience's feedback and the trend on the internet, and then meticulously examine the various social impacts of this movie after its release.

Of course, as for how Zhong Lin will ultimately be handled, the performance of "Sheep Without a Shepherd" at the box office will also be taken into account.

(PS: Begging for monthly votes at the beginning of the month.)

(End of this chapter)